Three Meters
by Soxil
Summary: Astoria sneaks out of the castle with her sister and Pansy. A night of broom racing and accidents lead to be the moment she finds something bigger than just acquaintance with Draco. One-shot, Rated T for language, true to books. Astoria X Draco


A/N: Just a quick creative break from my main squeeze _The Island_. Hope you all enjoy this one shot—it's heavily inspired by one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies: Tre Metri Sopra il Cielo (2004) with the gorgeous Riccardo Scamarcio. Enjoy!  
Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and its characters do not belong to me.

**Three Meters**

All she could taste was fear.

Fear, and pleasure.

Wind rushing by whipped her hair around her pale face. She squeezed her eyes tight so that all she could see were the stars behind her lids, dancing between bursts of white, purple, and deep green. The feeble broomstick hummed between her clenched thighs. The pull of the scarf cutting into her belly, anchoring her to the hard back of the rider.

She could hear the shouts and cheers of the others who had been brave enough to sneak out past curfew but not so brave as to volunteer themselves as one of the dummies—not as brave as her. She gripped tightly onto the scarf securing her to safety and felt her nails dig half-moons into her palms. The pain was exquisite. She felt more connected to her body than ever before and yet still felt detached—like she was watching herself fly through the cold night sky but feeling every raised hair, every rush of adrenaline as the broom sped faster and faster towards the finish line.

She bit her lip and tasted blood. But the fear of her vulnerability quickly morphed into pleasure and she sank deeper into the thrill of being so close to death.

Or at least an awful amount of pain.

Xx

"And just where do you two think you're sneaking off to past curfew?"

"Fuck off mini Greengrass"

"Go back to bed Astoria."

"Don't tell me what to do."

"Then don't try to tell _us_ what to do. We're big girls. Come on Daph, the boys will be waiting by the Forest."

"Go back to bed Astoria."

"No, _Daph_, I think I'll go find Professor Slughorn. See what he thinks about a couple of naughty seventh years sneaking out past curfew."

"Why you little brat, I ought to—"

"Cool it Pans. All right. What do you want?"

"Take me with you."

"Ha! Over Dumbledor's rotting body!"

"Fine."

"What?! Daph you can't be serious?"

"She'll just go tattle on us if we don't drag her along. Trust me. The little brat always gets her way."

"I'll go grab my jumper. If you leave without me I'll go straight to Slughorn, I _swear_ it."

"Can't we just stupefy her?"

"Tried that one before. Never ends well."

"Why does she even want to come?"

"Dunno, don't care. Just so long as she doesn't make a complete fool of herself or get herself killed. Not sure how I'd explain that one to the parentals."

"I suppose you could always say something about the Carrow's getting a bit too feisty?"

"Don't tempt me, Pans."

"All right, I'm ready. Where to?"

"Cork it, brat. I don't want to hear a single word from you until we get back to this castle. And even then I don't want to hear a word. You're only coming because your daft sister here can't think up a good enough spell to put you in your place."

"_Enough_, Pansy. We're going to be late. Astoria, don't dawdle."

Xx

Should she open her eyes?

She squeezed down on them tighter. She wanted to remember the blind sensation. She wanted to savor the smell of the crisp November air, the taste of her blood, the feel of scrunched wool gripped in her fingers, and the sounds of _wooshing_ each time they passed a tree or another rider.

_Don't move, don't move._

She repeated the mantra over and over in her mind even as her legs burned from gripping the broom so tightly. She desperately wanted to wiggle her hips into a more comfortable position but feared any movement at all would send them both plummeting. Even her breathing had slowed to an unnatural cadence so as not to shift too much of the air around her, lest it break the concentration of her partner.

So instead she didn't move. And she focused on the way her body held onto tension with almost religious zeal.

A sharp turn to her right had her stomach in her throat. She tried her hardest to rebalance herself and push back hard onto the rider's back—hoping the contact would keep her anchored to the broom and send him a message all at once. If she fell off she knew it would be a bloody mess.

And Pansy would never let her hear the end of it.

Xx

"What's this, what's this? I see we've got the mini Greengrass making her first appearance with the big kids tonight! What's the occasion? Did the little bint get her first blood?"

"Go fuck your mum, Marcus."

"Oh ho ho! Listen to the bark on that one boys! Whaddya say you show me that bite Greengrass?"

"How you going to have time for that, Marcus? What with your cock shoved right up your mum's bum and all?"

"All right, all right, settle down you snakes! Pansy, get ahold of your girl there and Marcus quit antagonizing the ladies lest they leave. Last thing we want is for these parties to devolve into sausage fests, am I right boys?"

"You calling the shots now Theo? What happened to Adrian?"

"Got caught up in some D.E. business. Nothing to concern yourself with Pans."

"Who said anything about concern? I was hoping we'd get a good and bloody story out of his missing tonight. A girl can dream, aye?"

"Keep your morbid thoughts to yourself Pans, some of us have seen enough blood and gore to last a lifetime."

"You always were a sensitive type, weren't you Theo?"

"Oy, how much longer we gotta wait before we can get started? Not all of us have the same luxury as you Death Eaters do—we gotta be back before the professors start noticing empty beds!"

"We'll wait as long as I say we wait! In the meantime, if you haven't already submitted your name for drawings, Millie over there can sort you out. We'll be racing five tonight, bets caped at 50 galleons like last time. Drinks over by that tree there but let's have a bit more temperance than last time—I'm looking at you Marcus."

"Daphne? What are they racing?"

"Didn't Pansy tell you to cork it? If you want to tag along, fine, but I don't want to be hear your incessant questions all night. Why don't you go join some of the other fifth and sixth years over there. You can talk about O.W.L.s or whatever it is you swots discuss."

"I didn't come here to talk about course work."

"Well then shut up and keep your head down. Don't give Marcus or the others a reason to call you out. I won't always be there to protect you."

"I don't need your protection."

"What did you say?"

"Nothing."

"Draco! Glad you could pry yourself way from the Dark Lord and join us tonight! Millie's controlling the drawing tonight. Gonna be five picks."

"Hm."

"Cheery as ever mate, cheery as ever."

Xx

Should she open her eyes? The world around her was a mess of _wooshing_, cheers, and the sound of her own strained breathing reverberating in her ears. The sensations were almost overwhelming her and she heard herself gasp after the last sharp left. If she opened her eyes—even just a peak—would she regret it?

Tentatively she pried them open.

The world around her was brighter though still covered in shadow as she and her rider partner zoomed through a thick forest. The trees blurred into vision around her and she caught sight of the marked course, only three meters below their speeding broom. She didn't dare move her head but let her eyes dart to either side, taking in the blurred forms of other riders and their helpless dummies.

She saw a mop of black hair in her periphery, close enough to grab if she reached out. As if sensing her sidelong gaze, the girl turned towards her and laughed, cackling into the wind.

She squeezed her eyes shut again, refocusing on her body and the mantra she clung to as they sped towards the finish line.

_Don't move, don't move._

Xx

"Pipe down people! I've got the five names here: when you hear your name, collect your broom and choose your dummy! The race will begin in three minutes! Here we go: Marcus! Gregory! Zacharias! Draco! And Theo—aw for fuck's sake. All right, three minutes lads!"

"Pans?"

"Yeah, all right. Third times the charm aye Drakey?"

"Daphne will you—"

"Not fucking likely Nott. You almost got us both killed last time."

"Oy, little Greengrass! Let's see that innocent little arse perched on my broomstick."

"I said to go fuck off, Marcus! She's not going to be your—"

"Coming."

"Astoria are you mad?"

"Let go of me Daphne."

"No. I won't allow it. Theo, you can't let this happen."

"If she wants to go Daph there's nothing in the rules tha—"

"What bloody rules? Since when have there been _rules_? Astoria, get back here!"

"All right so what's this "dummy" thing anyways?"

"It's what you're doing right now kid. You're the dummy for agreeing."

"Astoria, get away from him. I forbid you to get on his broom."

"Is that it? I just ride on your broom?"

"More or less. They tie you to me and then I give you the ride of your life, little Greengrass."

"Theo, DO SOMETHING."

"All right, all right! Marcus, pick another dummy. Astoria's too little and Daphne here is going to break my balls if you so much as—"

"So what do they use to tie us together?"

"A scarf. Like this one."

"Astoria don't you dare—"

"And I just get on behind you?"

"Turn around. It's got to be back to back."

"THEO!"

"Marcus, cut it out—"

"Like this?"

"You're perfect."

"ASTORIA, NO!"

"Don't move, little Greengrass."

Xx

She heard a grunt before she even felt the broom veer to the right and collide with a solid mass. Her eyes snapped open and she turned towards the mass feeling a bruise already forming on her arm.

Pansy was looking into her wide eyes, with a look of pure fear while her black hair whipped in the wind. She realized almost too late that Marcus was veering to the right again, preparing to knock Draco and Pansy a second time. Before she could prepare for the onslaught of pain she knew was coming, she watched as the other pair skidded to a halt and began to lose their neck-and-neck position. Draco's figure briefly swept into her line of sight, moving from her right to her left as he and Pansy skirted around them to avoid the collision. She blinked back tears forming from the cold wind as she watched him hunched over his broom glaring daggers into her.

_Had he always had eyes that cold and icy?_

What, in reality, lasted less than a moment felt like minutes. His gaze bore into her and her body tightened in response. He was furious. But there was something else there, buried behind the fury. She couldn't read him but she felt her mouth dry in response to that stare. It wasn't the wind, or the realization that Marcus would be driving them straight into a tree, or even the built up fear cloaking her throughout the race—Draco Malfoy's icy stare burned her to her core.

And she had never felt more alive.

That is, until she and Marcus finally connected with the tree and the world went black around her.

Xx

"I swear to God if you ever do something that dim witted and—"

"Please shut up Daphne, you're making it worse."

"You deserve it! You could have been killed! He could have killed you! You could have killed her you stupid, ugly, inconsequential oaf!"

"Get your girl off of me Theo!"

"Daphne come on, calm down. She's okay. This isn't going to help!"

"Hold still brat, that arm is not going to mend itself."

"Just take me back to the castle. Madame Pom—"

"Ha! You're not going anywhere near that old swot. Too many questions. Now hold still while I get this spell right."

"Pansy do you even know—"

"_Ferula_."

"Bloody hell Pansy, where did you learn that nifty charm?"

"MARCUS!"

"Fuck sake, Draco, don't—"

"You could have killed her!"

"_Oof_"

"Draco stop!"

"What kind—"

"_Oof_"

"—off a tragic—"

"_Oof_"

"—sack—"

"_Oof_"

"—of shit are you? You almost killed her!"

"Draco stop it! You're going to kill him!"

"_Crucio_!"

"Draco, no!"

"Please!—I…I'm sorry!—please…stop—"

…

…

…

"Can you walk?"

"I—I think so. Yes?"

"I'll take you back to the Manor."

"Draco you can't! What if—"

"I'll handle it Pansy! Just get everyone back to the school."

"Let her go Draco! Don't you dare take her back to—"

"_Stupefy_. Pansy, take Daphne back with you. Theo, clean up this mess."

"Make sure she gets back to the castle before dawn, mate. Daphne will kill me if her sister gets expelled."

Xx

Pain.

It raced through her body and jolted her awake. She screamed out into the darkness but didn't hear a sound. But the pain was so intense she thought it would rip her body apart.

"Bite down on this." She felt a thick piece of leather wedge itself between her teeth and she bit down hard, channeling the pain into the force of her bite. She blinked back tears even as the pain subsided and hummed throughout her body. Sweat pooled at her back and she felt the salty sting when it slid into her eyes.

The world around her, what little of it she could make out—a canopy, soft sheets, the stale air of a closed room—faded away into black as she dipped back into unconsciousness. As she drifted away she felt a cool hand on her brow and another one gently grip her upper arm, reassuring her that she wasn't alone.

Xx

"The edge of the forest is just up ahead. You should make it to the dungeons before Slughorn comes out for his morning walk."

"How do you know about his walks?"

"I spent a good deal of time last year memorizing the habits of all the professors. It came in handy, ultimately."

"Thank you, Draco. For the potions. And the spells. I mean I assume there were spells."

"You got lucky kid."

"I'm not a kid."

"No, I suppose you aren't anymore. But quit acting like a brat. Listen to your sister when she tells you not to be a twit."

"What are you, my father?"

"No, thank heavens. Now go on and get moving. I'll not have Daphne murder Theo for my poor timing."

"All right, all right."

…

…

…

"Draco?"

"What Greengrass?"

"I—thank you."

"You're repeating yourself."

"You don't seem to mind."

"Don't come to another one of those parties."

"But I—"

"No Astoria. It's too dangerous and you're too—"

"Too what? Young? Naïve? Dumb?"

"Brave."

"Oh—I—no I'm not."

"Ha. You and your sister have more in common than I realized. Just don't come back, okay? Your life is not worth some meaningless race."

"More like my pride—"

"That's not worth it either. Trust me."

"Okay."

"Okay you won't come back?"

"No. I'll trust you. You seem trustworthy."

"Be careful Astoria. You don't know much about this world yet."

"But I think I know enough about you."

"You're a clever little thing, aren't you?"

"Do you like it when I'm clever?"

…

…

…

"Get back to the castle, Astoria. Now."

"When can I see you again?"

"Why would you want to?"

"You know why. And if you don't that makes it that much more tempting."

"You're going to be a handful, aren't you?"

"I don't think you'll much mind."

"Hmf. I'll let you know."

"When I'm a handful?"

"When you can see me again."

"Oh."

"That's what you want, isn't it?"

"I just didn't expect it to be that easy."

"It's not going to be. You should know that ahead of time. It's never going to be easy."

"I like a challenge."

"You say that now—"

"I always like one. _Always_."

…

…

…

"I should get back."

"Who gave you that brilliant idea?"

"Very funny Malfoy. Thank you, again."

"If you thank me one more time—"

"You'll do what? Punish me?"

"Don't tempt me."

…

…

…

"Goodnight, Draco."

"Good morning, Astoria."


End file.
